


No Luck

by Callie_Girl



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Circus, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sympathetic Dark Sides (Sanders Sides), Sympathetic Deceit Sanders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:47:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21744751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callie_Girl/pseuds/Callie_Girl
Summary: Soul marks.Everyone had at least one; a pitch-black mark somewhere on their body that would indicate the first place their soulmate would touch them. Most people dreamed of the day their soul mark would light up with colour, when they would finally know who their soulmate was.But not Dominic.For- take-my-uwus-i-dont-need-em
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Deceit Sanders, Morality | Patton Sanders/Dr. Emile Picani, logic deceit
Comments: 4
Kudos: 106
Collections: Sanders Sides Secret Santa 2019





	No Luck

Soul marks showed up when you were around five, though there were some who were born with them and some whose didn't manifest until they were twelve. Dominic's had appeared at age four, a bit early but not exceedingly rare. He still remembered exactly how it had felt; like fire, but not painful. Almost like the warmth that accompanied a tight hug from someone who loved you. He'd raced to the bathroom and dragged his chair over so that he could see into the mirror.

He remembered his excitement slowly draining away as his four-year-old mind did the math.

And then he remembered crying.

-

Three years later, his parents forgot him and never came back.

The ringmaster of the circus found him under the bleachers, sobbing his little heart out and eating popcorn. His parents had never taught him their phone number and they never responded to the Found Child ads.

So Dominic stayed with the circus.

-

Dominic was twelve and an acrobat, soaring through the air as if he was made to have wings. His legs could hook around the wooden bar on ropes as if it was what he was born to do. Some would see him and swear he must have had wings.

But then those same people would see his soul mark and swear he was cursed.

Age twelve was when he stopped doing the post-show meet-and-greets.

Age twelve was when people started slapping him to see if they could make his soul mark change colours. Age twelve was when some hits were so bad that part of his face would swell up. Once he was bedridden for days with a nasty concussion after someone hit him hard enough to send his tiny body flying against on the light poles.

At that point, the ringmaster realized that Dominic might need a change of scenery.

So Dominic started attending a nearby school, concealing his soul mark with makeup that the fire-eater helped him apply.

-

Dominic was fourteen when he met Virgil, Roman, Emile, Patton, and Logan.

Logan and Virgil, like Dominic, weren't that interested in finding their soulmates. Virgil insisted that he had enough things to worry about, and Logan simply wasn't intrigued by the whole business. When they decided they liked Dominic for some reason, they adopted him into their friend group. It was there that he met the mellow Emile, dramatic Roman, and caring Patton. And soon, this little oddball group felt like a second family.

And then, everything changed.

-

First, Emile and Patton found soulmates in each other. They were on the track for gym, and Emile had spotted a hairless kitten that he just had to show Patton or else he would literally die. So he grabbed Patton by the wrist and pulled him across the track.

(Patton kept that kitten as a reminder of the best day of his life. Even if Pryce technically belonged to Patton, that cat was Dominic's baby.)

It took them both around an hour to realize that their soul marks were no longer black; Pattons, a hand-shaped mark around his wrist, had turned into a lovely cotton-candy pink. Emile's black palm had shifted to a cute robins-egg blue.

Dominic remembered Patton's freckled face lighting up with pure joy-

And he wished he could have a happily-ever-after like that.

-

Then, Virgils started with a bully outing him. He'd gotten the text from his mom in the middle of math class, saying that he was no son of hers and calling him a few choice swearwords. Virgil had run out of class like his shoes were on fire, tears running down his porcelain face.

Roman got up and went after him.

The next the others knew the black patch in Virgil's hair had turned royal red and the black stains on Romans palm and fingers were a deep, mysterious purple.

Dominic was pretty sure that discovery was the only thing that kept Virgil alive that day.

-

Don't get him wrong, he was happy for his friends. Happy that Patton had found someone who could keep up with him and who wouldn't hurt his big heart. Happy that Roman had found a Yin to his Yang, Happy for Virgil in more ways than he could list.

But oh Gods was he jealous.

He could never be happy, not like they were. He could never cuddle with his soulmate like Virgil did with Roman, could never share little kisses like Emile and Patton. He could never be happy with who he was destined to be with.

No luck.

-

-

Show night. When the Big Top was filled to bursting, full of flashing cameras and loud children and even louder adults trying to tell their loud children that the show would start soon.

Spotlights swept over the crowd, the lights went out, and the show began.

Dominic stepped off of the platform, falling for a second before the rope went taught, momentum swinging him halfway across the Big Top. Missy threw the other bar in, and Dominic let go of his and rolled through the air, grabbing the other bar the second it touched his rough palms. He flashed Missy a thumbs up when the bar took him close to her, then refocused as it swung away, his weight shifting to urge it closer to the one that was not abandoned.

He'd done this routine so often that it was like breathing.

He swung off the bar and onto the wooden platform, swinging around the pole and running-

And his feet left the platform.

For a second, he was really flying-

Then his hands smacked into Missy's. Using all of her strength, she propelled him towards the other bar, his arms slowly slipping out of her grip-

Flying again-

His slim body slid over the bar, arms catching on the ropes. As the bar took off, he transferred his hands to the bar and pushed his body back so that he was hanging off, then swinging his legs and going into a handstand.

Perfect.

He swung his legs back, biting his bottom lip in concentration, eyes narrowed as he relied purely on instinct as to where the platform was-

"Yeah, Dominic!"

Was that Logan?!

Dominic's hands slipped off of the bar-

And he was in freefall.

-

No nets.

Nothing between him and the hard dirt of the Big Top floor. Between him and a very painful few months in hospital. Or, if he landed the wrong way, a wheelchair.

Or a tombstone.

Missy took a running leap off of her platform, hooking onto her abandoned bar with her knees and twisting her legs through the rope for extra insurance, her arms reaching out as far as they would go-

The crowd was screaming-

Her hands locked around Dominic's ankles. He saw her grimace as she felt the backlash from his momentum, almost taking her off the bar. As she reached the end of her arc, she swung him to his bar. He somersaulted through the air and grabbed onto his bar, ignoring how his wrists screamed in agony and swinging to safety as soon as he could.

The crowd went wild.

He waved to the crowd, pretending it was all part of the act. His gaze swept over to Missy, and she nodded slightly to her right arm, which was pressed close to her body.

She was injured.

Dominic gave a slight nod, then disappeared into the hidden catwalk. She met him at the halfway between their stations.

"Are you okay?" She demanded.

"Hurt my wrists, but I don't think anything's broken. You?"

"I think I dislocated my shoulder," she rolled it and hissed in pain, "Definitely dislocated it."

That was the price for screwing up in flying trapeze; you could injure yourself, but you could also injure your partner.

"What happened?" She continued.

"I got startled and lost my balance." Stupid stupid stupid! Of course, Logan could be here! He literally lived a few minutes away! It was dumb of him to assume his friends would never find out about this- gods he was so stupid-

Missy shrugged with her good arm, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "Whatever. Nothing's on fire, no one's dead. Worked out in the end."

Remus, the contact juggler and backup fire-eater and sword swallower, poked his wild head up. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah, just a little mistake." Missy dismissed.

"Alright. Luce should be done with her act soon. Better get down before the bungees." Dominic smiled in spite of himself. He loved watching the bungee trapeze. Made his job look a lot easier.

Heart still racing, he followed Missy down the ladder.

-

"Are you okay?"

Dominic jumped, whirling in his chair to face Logan, who'd appeared right behind him. Freaking ninja nerd- "Huh?"

"Are you okay? You fell last night and your wrists bent seventy degrees."

He winced slightly. "You noticed that?"

"I noticed enough to see it was not intended as part of the act," Logan raised an eyebrow.

Oof. "Yeah. I'm fine... what were you doing there?" It came out a bit more accusing than he'd intended, but Logan didn't seem to notice.

"Toby was going on and on about wanting to see these two amazing trapeze artists that one of their friends was talking about. Mother made me take them," Logan smiled, "I didn't know I would see you there."

Dominic looked at the floor, "It's not exactly something I advertise."

"But why not? You are amazing at it. You look more at home in the air than on the ground, and you're so graceful-" Logan bit his lips together, a pink tint appearing on his freckled cheeks. "Apologies... I really enjoyed the show."

"Th-thank you," Dominic whispered, nervous. "I... it just turns into chaos, when adults know. Cause I'm so young. A few of them have even tried to get Child Protective Services on it. And the circus is..."

"Your family," Logan guessed.

"Yeah," He had to make Logan understand- if he got removed from Thomas' circus, he'd have nothing. What if a new foster parent lived too far away for him to attend this school? He'd have no friends, and Luce still had the scars from her last pair of foster parents before she'd aged out of the system- and he could end up on the streets if he aged out and by that time who knows how far away he would be from the circus-

"Dominic, breathe," Logan ordered, interrupting his spiral, "In for four counts... hold for seven counts... exhale for eight counts... again. In for four-" Logan reached out a hand as if to touch Dominic's shoulder, then recoiled nervously, "Hold for seven-"

"You can't tell anyone!" Dominic forced out, voice wrought with fear, "Please-"

"I will not tell anyone without your explicit consent," Logan interrupted, "You are going to go into a panic attack, you need to breathe. In for four counts-"

Slowly but surely, Dominic regained control. Logan nodded in approval. "Very good job. Is there anyone I can call to take you home?"

"Um..." Dammit, he should know this- "I... I can't remember their phone numbers-"

"That's perfectly fine. I will drive you home, then," Logan tilted his head for a moment, thinking. "I will bring any work you missed to you after school, if that is okay?"

It took a few seconds for what Logan was saying to fully register, "Wait, but school isn't over yet."

"I know this."

"So I can't leave."

Logan shook his head. "There is no way I am permitting you to stay after you came so close to a panic attack. You need to relax, and school is not an adequate setting for such. And I am also not letting you walk home alone because you are not even able to fight a marsupial." He pulled his keys from his pocket. "Come on."

Dominic stared after him for a few moments, then followed.

-

Logan hung his heavy bag on the hook, kicking the door shut and shouting “I’m home!”

There was a pitter-patter of tiny feet, then Toby barrelled around the corner and hit Logan head on. Logan stumbled back a few steps (The kid was made to be in a running sport, Logan was certain of it,) but thankfully managed to stay on his feet.

“You were gone forever and ever!” Toby lamented.

“Oh was I now?” Logan teased, lifting Toby to rest on his hip. “I trust Mother and Father are still not home?”

“Nope!” Poor kid. Must’ve been bored out of their skull, all energy and no one to play with. Logan set them on the counter then started bustling around the kitchen, preparing Spongebob Mac ‘n cheese. Toby swung their tiny feet back and forth, singing Spoon full of Sugar, which would have honestly gone terribly with what Logan was preparing.

“Did you ask him on a date yet?”

Logan startled, dropping the utensil into the warming water. “Oh, in the name of actual God-” he scrambled to grab the tongs, picking the dropped utensil out of the pot. Once he’d finally retrieved it, he turned to Toby, “Pardon?”

“The acrabat,” Toby elaborated, “did you ask him out yet?”

“Acrobat,” Logan corrected, “And no, I have not.”

“But why not?”

“Well, for one, he may not even like males,” Logan sighed, “And even if he does, he may not wish to date me.”

Toby tilted his head one way, then the other, “Why wouldn’t he want to date you?”

“I do not express affection in a standard way. I do not enjoy physical contact. Besides, I’m not his soulmate. He may see it as wasting time, and I couldn’t bear it if he met his soulmate while we dated... it... There are simply too many reasons.”

“How do you know you’re not his soulmate?”

Logan sighed, staring at his black palm. Toby was a well of never-ending questions, “Because how on Earth could I ever be so lucky?”

-

Logan counted the change twice as the bus pulled up.  _ It should be enough to get a doughnut for Toby... Hopefully Mother and Father won’t realize that it’s gone. _

Did he dare bother his parents for groceries? There was almost no food left in the house, and Toby was a growing child. Logan could survive on whatever he could find, he could stand to skip a few meals... but Toby was three. They couldn’t.

He would have to do the shopping. Which bought the question; What could he live without?

He was already down to three outfits, his shoes were much too small and had holes, he needed new glasses, and he’d already sold almost everything he could.

The bus stopped at the school, and his eyes fell on his wrist.

More specifically, on the golden watch.

It was twenty-four karat gold and had belonged to his grandfather. It was the only thing he’d left Logan in his will...

Food or the watch?

Food or the watch?

The answer should’ve been clear; they needed food to survive. But Logan had had the watch since he was seven, it was very important to him...

But Toby needed to eat.

“Whoa, Specs. What’s wrong?”

Logan looked up at Roman, tears in his eyes and lip trembling. He managed to force out “My watch,” before breaking down sobbing, collapsing against Roman.

Patton edged closer, gently rubbing circles on Logan’s back, and Emile took Logan’s bag from him, setting it on a nearby table as Dominic and Virgil glared threateningly and the small crowd that was gathering, which quickly dispersed.

“Logan, what’s wrong?” Dominic asked, voice soft.

“I h-have to s-s-s-sell my wah-watch!” Logan howled, crying harder. Dominic had never seen him so upset. If anything, Logan had always been the calmest of their group. Seeing him like this... it was a bit unsettling, to be honest.

“Your grandfather’s watch?” Virgil asked, horrified. “The one that survived World War Two?”

Logan nodded.

“But why?” Emile demanded, looking like he might start crying too.

“F-f-f-food.”

“How much do you need?” Dominic asked.

Logan sniffled, trying to collect himself. “Over a hundred dollars for enough food for the next two months.”

Dominic nodded, checking his wallet for his card. “I’ve got you covered.”

Everyone turned to stare at him. 

“I get paid twenty-three dollars and hour during shows and my allowance is twenty a week. I’ve got plenty of money saved up,” He smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, you’ll barely put a dent in it.”

“But... I have no way to pay you back.”

“Don’t worry about it. Consider it me returning a favour,” he met Logan’s blue eyes.  _ You kept my secret, so I’ll help you keep your watch. _

Slowly, Logan offered up a trembling smile. “You mean it?”

“Of course.”

-

Dominic watched Logan bustle around, occasionally picking something off of the shelves. Most of it was stuff like Ramen of Mac ‘n Cheese, and everything was the kind of stuff that had a shelf-life of, like, five-ever. He noticed Logan pause and look wistfully at the cookies, so Dominic grabbed two boxes of twelve and put them in the cart with the rest of Logan’s haul. Logan paused, looking at Dominic with a confused expression.

“My treat,” Dominic smiled. Logan grinned, truly grinned, and Dominic felt his heart swell.

Logan took a few steps towards him, cupping the left side of his face, then pulling him into a kiss. Dominic jumped, then melted against Logan. Logan put a hesitant hand at the bottom of Dominic’s back. Slowly, they pulled apart, staring into each other's eyes.

Logan blushed, “I... apologize. That was uncalled for.”

“Don’t,” Dominic warned. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while.”

Gently, Logan ran his thumb over Dominic’s cheekbone. “So, does this mean we are dating?”

Then, the seriousness of the situation was gone. Dominic chuckled. “I sure hope it does.”

Logan reluctantly pulled away, looking into Dominic’s eyes. Perhaps, maybe, he could have a spot of luck every once in a while. He pulled his hand away from Dominic’s beautiful face, and his jaw dropped.

“Oh... my... Socrates...”

“What?” Dominic paled slightly.

“Dominic... where is your soulmark?” He bit his lip, eyes sparkling.

“Um... my face. Like, on the left side-” Dominic’s eyes went wide. “Logan, let me see your hand.”

Slowly, Logan uncurled his fingers...

And showed Dominic a palm, once black, now painted a beautiful, glimmering gold.

“Oh my Gods...” Dominic blinked a few times. "B-but... That means..."

"We're..." Logan stared at Dominic, eyes as wide as they could go.

"Soulmates," Dominic finished. All this time-

Relief, crushing, soul-shattering relief, crashed down on him. Dominic slammed into Logan’s arms, hugging his soulmate tightly. Logan froze, then awkwardly patted Dominic on the head.

“Thank you!” Dominic gasped, “Thank you!”

Logan chuckled nervously, “Sure... for what?”

Laughing, Dominic leaned back, hands staying on Logan’s hips. “You’ll understand when you see my soul mark. C’mon, let’s get to checkout.”

-

Logan bounced up and down slightly on his bed, watching the bathroom door. Dominic had disappeared into it a few minutes ago, saying that he needed to figure out how to get all of the makeup off of his face. It had been followed by several curse words (At least Toby was at a friends house,) and Dominic still hadn’t reappeared.

“Do you need any help?” Logan called. He’d tried makeup once before, when Roman had offered, and he swore he still had that accursed glitter on his eyelids. The stuff was impossible to get off.

“Almost got it!” There was a crash, followed by an “I’m okay!”

“You better not destroy my crystal bottle!” Logan threatened. He’d gotten it from a Goodwill for fifty cents, and it was something he took great pride in owning, even if it was only glass.

“Fight me, ninja nerd!”

“I will!”

Finally, Dominic came back into the room, and Logan’s jaw dropped. Two thoughts raced through his mind at the same time;  _ That must have been incredibly hard to cover up with makeup _ , and  _ that looks like _ -

“Oh, Dominic,” Just as Dominic had promised, it all made sense. 

“Yes, I know,” Dominic rolled his eyes, “It looks like a slap mark. I’ve been hearing that for a long time.”

“That’s why you never wanted to find your soulmate,” Logan realized, “You thought it was from being hit…”

“I… like the colour,” Dominic whispered shyly. Logan smiled slightly; the colour was dark blue, Logan’s favourite colour.

Logan slid off of the bed, walking up to Dominic, “I do too.”

He wrapped one arm around Dominic’s waist, pulling the smaller boy close. Dominic sighed contentedly, resting his head on Logan’s chest.

“I’m so glad you’re my soulmate.”

Dominic smiled, “I’m glad you’re mine.”

And for once, Logan felt like the luckiest man alive.


End file.
